Oxford English Dictionary. Ed. J. A. Simpson & E. S. C. Weiner. 20 vols. Oxford: Clarendon, 1989.

The major etymological dictionary of the English language. Purpose is to outline the history of every word in use since 1150. Explanations of words include date of introduction into the language and variant definitions, spellings and pronunciations since then. [*PE 1625.O87 1989. Available on WebROSI under "Online Reference Resources" Subheading: Dictionaries/Encyclopedias]

Guide to literary terms used with American, British, foreign and comparative literature. Short essay type entries. [*PN41.A184 1999]

Deutsch, Babette. Poetry Handbook: a dictionary of terms. New York: Harper, 1974.

Alphabetic arrangement of definitions that cover terminology and broader topics relative to poetry. Entries include many illustrative examples for literature. [*PN44.5.D4 1974b]

Fowler, Roger, ed. A Dictionary of Modern Critical Terms. London: Routledge, 1987.

Includes about 150 terms discussed in short signed essays. Many cross-references.

[*PN41.D4794 1987]

Harris, Wendell U. Dictionary of Concepts in Literary Criticism and Theory. New York:

Greenwood, 1992.

Discusses 70 concepts important in literary theory in short essays averaging 5 to 7 pages. Entries include the current meaning or definition, the concept’s history and development, and a bibliography. A subject index makes it possible to locate terms used within the concept discussions. [*PN41.H36 1992]

The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism. Eds. Michael Groden and Martin Kreisworth.

Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1994.

Includes over 230 alphabetically arranged, signed articles on critics and theorists, schools and movements, and surveys by country of theory and criticism. Time period covered from Aristotle to the present. Selective bibliographies included. Indexes by name and by topic. [*PN81.J554 1994]

Preminger, Alex and T.V.F. Brogan, eds. New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics.

Princeton: Princeton UP, 1993.

Handbook of poetry intended to be a comprehensive and comparative reference source for those "interested in the history of any poetry in any national literature of the world, or in any aspect of the technique or criticism of poetry." (Preface) Especially helpful for surveys of national poetries. Articles are signed and many have bibliographies. [*PN1021.N39 1993]

Vaughn, Jack A. Drama A to Z: a handbook. New York, Ungar, 1978.

Dictionary of terms and phrases that apply to drama as literature, theory and criticism. Definitions vary from brief to lengthy. [*PN1625.V3]

Auchter, Dorothy. Dictionary of Historical Allusions & Eponyms. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 1998

Dictionary arrangement of entries providing a concise definition of the current meaning of eponyms and historical allusions from all periods. Entries provide background into the events from which the expression originated. Sources provided for each entry. [* PN43 .A83 1998]

Brewer, Ebenezer. A Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Rev. by Adrian Room. New York: Harper, 1999.

Dictionary arrangement of brief entries for colloquial and proverbial phrases, biographical and mythological references, fictitious characters, titles, etc. giving origin, derivation or meaning as appropriate.

[*PN43. B65 1999]

Grote, David. Common Knowledge: a Reader’s Guide to Literary Allusions. New York:

Greenwood, 1987.

Attempts to present "the fundamental names in mythology, theater, literature, religion, history, and popular culture that reasonably educated persons might be expected to know to understand most general literature." [*PN43.G68 1987]

Abingdon, 1962.

Scholarly encyclopedic dictionary based on recent discoveries and referring to both the King James Version and the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Articles are signed and many include bibliographies. [*BS440.I63]

Fulgrum, Walter B. A Dictionary of Biblical Allusions in English Literature. New York: Holt, 1965.

Dictionary containing a selection of Biblical allusions. Includes Biblical works, phrases, people and places frequently mentioned in literature. All entries include the Biblical citation to the allusion. [*PR145.F8]

Grimal, Pierre. Dictionary of Classical Mythology. Oxford: Blackwell, 1986.

Dictionary arrangement of short sketches identifying mythological figures from Greece and Rome. Clearly separates descriptions when more than one figure bears the same name. Articles about major figures are detailed. [*BL715.G713 1986]

Hornblower, Simon & Antony Spawforth. The Oxford Classical Dictionary. 3rd ed. Oxford: Clarendon, 1996.

A scholarly dictionary with mostly brief signed articles, covering biography, literature, mythology, philosophy, religion, science, geography, etc. Most articles have short bibliographies. [*DE5.O9 1996]

Howatson, M.C. The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford

Univ. Pr., 1989.

Alphabetic arrangement of articles which cover such things as summaries of books from the period, biographical entries, and entries that discuss the culture, history, geography, philosophy, and political institutions of the classical period. Includes chronological tables and maps. [*PA31.H69 1989]

Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia. New York: HarperCollins, 1996.

Alphabetic arrangement of entries on authors, titles, characters, allusions, literary movements, etc. for world literature. Excellent source for basic information. [*PN41.B4 1996]

Hochman, Stanley, ed. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama. 5 vols. New York:

McGraw-Hill, 1984.

Outstanding multi-volume encyclopedia about dramatic literature. Over 900 entries for authors, plus 100 non-biographical articles defining terms. Emphasis on Western European, but includes some Third World literatures. Features theater movements, genres, styles, and surveys of major national dramas.

[*PN1625. M3 1984]

Literature. New York: Columbia UP, 1980.

Scholarly dictionary containing biographical sketches that include critical comment about modern European authors, plus articles about most of the national literatures. Articles signed. Short bibliographies for the non-expert. [*PN771.C575 1980]

Drabble, Margaret. Oxford Companion to English Literature. 6th ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000.

Short descriptions of British authors and their works, plus articles on clubs, literary societies, prizes, periodicals and newspapers. Includes definitions of literary, artistic, and intellectual movements. Coverage of foreign authors is dictated by their connection to British literature. [*PR19.O94 2000]

Garland, Henry G. and Mary Garland. Oxford Companion to German Literature. Oxford: Clarendon, 1973.

Following the pattern of other Oxford "companions," volume provides dictionary format entries for authors, titles, historical figures, literary movements, etc. for German literature from 800 to the 1980’s. [*PT41.G37]

Hart, James David. Oxford Companion to American Literature. 5th ed. New York: Oxford UP, 1983.

Includes short biographies of American authors, plot summaries of works, literary schools and movements, and brief entries for social and economic movements that formed the background for literary works. Arranged by specific subject in dictionary format with cross-references. [*PS21.H3 1983]

Oxford Companion to Spanish Literature. Philip Ward, ed. Oxford: Clarendon, 1978.

Using the pattern of other Oxford "companions," provides information about authors, titles, and literary movements. Includes literature written in Spanish from many South American and Latin American countries. Also includes languages of Spain other than Castilian. [*PQ6006.O93x]

American Writers: a Collection of Literary Biographies. 16 vols. New York: Scribner, 1974-2001.

Provides lengthy signed articles about the lives, careers, and works of prominent American writers. Have begun retrospective revision of some older articles. Cumulative index in last volume. [*PS129.A55]

British Writers. 14 vols. New York: Scribner, 1979-2001.

Covers major British authors from the 1300’s into the 20th century. Long articles signed by authorities. Essays usually include biographical sketch, plus survey of principle works and critical comments. Cumulative index in the last volume. [*PR85.B688]

Mainiero, Lisa, ed. American Women Writers: a Critical Reference Guide from Colonial Times to

Present. 5 vols. New York: Ungar, 1979, 1982, 1994.

Includes American women over three centuries; providing biographical data, critical comments, complete bibliography of writings, and a secondary bibliography for each. [*PS147.A4]

Schlueter, Paul and June Schlueter, eds. An Encyclopedia of British Women Writers.

Biographical entries for about 400 female authors from medieval to present time. Includes list of works, bibliography of biographical and critical references. Also lists articles in other selected reference works. [*PR111.C54 1988]

Buchanan-Brown, J. Cassell’s Encyclopaedia of World Literature. 3 vols. New York: Morrow,

1973.

Vols. 2 and 3 provide brief biographical sketches of authors worldwide. Inclusion is not restricted by time period. Vol. 1 has general articles on literature and histories of national literatures. [*PN41.C3 1973]

Contemporary Authors. Multi-volume. Detroit: Gale, 1962 - .

Continuing series that provides mostly brief, factual articles with biographical information, bibliography of works and sometimes "sidelight" information provided by the author or an interview with the author. Predominantly American. Includes many authors who will not be found elsewhere. Use the latest paperbound cumulative index to determine the correct volume or check index at http://www.galenet.com/servlet/LitIndex. [*Z1224.C59]

Dictionary of Literary Biography. Multi-volume. Detroit: Gale, 1978 - .

Multi-volume set still being published. Intended to cover all who have contributed to "the greatness of literature" in America, England and elsewhere. Each volume examines a group of writers with common bonds. Lengthy signed articles written by authorities. Bibliography of works, plus secondary references. Use index in most recent volume or check index at http://www.galenet.com/servlet/LitIndex [*PS221.D5]

European Writers. 12 vols. New York: Scribner, 1983 - 1991.

Designed as a companion to American Writers and British Writers. Provides detailed articles arranged in chronological order about major European authors from the Middle Ages to the present. Essays emphasize the authors works rather than biography. [*PN501.E9 1983]

Kunitz, Stanley. European Authors, 1000-1900; a Biographical Dictionary of European Literature.

New York: Wilson, 1967.

Includes biographical information and critical comments about European authors who were born after 1000 A.D. and died before 1925. Includes partial listing of the author’s works and some secondary bibliographical citations. [*PN451.K8]

Authors, 1980-1985. New York: Wilson, 1975, 1979, 1985, 1990.

Biographical sketches of authors prominent between 1950-1985 from around the world. More emphasis on writers from Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia in later volumes.

[*PN451.W3. Also available on WebROSI under "Online Reference Resources." Under subheading General, select Wilson Biographies Plus.]

Literary Figures. 2 vols. Detroit: Gale, 1997.

Master index to listings found in over 390 biographical dictionaries. Important time saver for locating biographical material. Sources indexed cover all time periods, many nationalities, and various subject areas. [*Z5304.A8A93 1997]

A subject/author index to essays and articles in books that are collections of essays and miscellaneous works. Copyrights of collections indexed go back to 1900. Includes most subjects, but is especially strong in humanities with large numbers of collections of literary criticism. Subdivides critical articles about an author by individual work when appropriate. [*AI3.E752][Also available on WebROSI under "Magazines/Journals: Indexes & Full Text." Select "Additional Indexes via the First Search Service" near the bottom of the subpage list. Select "EssayGenLit" in the alphabetical list.

Expanded Academic Index. (Online). Information Access Company. 1980 – present.

Online periodical index with some full text articles covering humanities, social sciences and general science topics. To search for material about authors and literary works, do a keyword search with author’s last name and/or works from the title of the work and the word criticism for literary criticism or the word biography for biographical material. [On WebROSI, select "Magazines/Journals: Indexes & Full Text", Subheading: General indexes to all subjects.]

Humanities Index. Vol. 1 - 21. New York: Wilson, 1974 -1995.

An index to about 250 scholarly periodicals in literature, literary criticism, folklore, philosophy, performing arts, religion, etc. Important source for criticism written between 1970’s and present. [Indexes:

*AI3.H85 for 1974-1994. [Also available on WebROSI under "Magazines/Journals: Indexes and Full Text." Select "Additional Indexes via the First Search Service" near bottom of subpage list. Select "HumanitiesAbs" in the alphabetical list.]

JSTOR. (Online.) JSTOR. Variable.

Growing full text database serves as an electronic archive of important scholarly journals largely in the social sciences and the humanities. Contains the full content of journal titles from their inception until the most recent three-five years. Full text searching of articles provided. Periodicals in the area of Literature include: African American Review, American Literature, Callaloo, ELH, MLN (Modern Language Notes), Representations, Shakespeare Quarterly, Speculum, & Yale French Studies. It also includes a number of history journals that may be helpful for some topics. [Available on WebROSI, under "Magazines/Journals: Indexes & Full Text," Subheading: General Indexes to all subjects]

MLA International Bibliography of Books and Articles on the Modern Languages and Literatures.

Multi-volume. New York: MLA, 1921 - 1994. Electronic version 1963 – present.

Popularly referred to as the MLA Bibliography, this is the major bibliography in the field. Titles have changed and coverage has broadened since 1921. It is a classified listing of books and articles on modern language, literatures, folklore and linguistics. With the 1981 volume of the paper edition, the format changed to two volumes with one volume a subject index and the other volume the classified list with the citations. [Lower levelIndexes: *Z7006.M642. Available on WebROSI under "Magazines/Journals: Indexes and Full Text," Subheading: Humanities Indexes]

Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 1 - present. Detroit: Gale, 1973 - .

Provides excerpts from criticism about the works of novelists, poets, playwrights, etc. who are still alive or who have died since 1959. Citation to work excerpted from given with each excerpt. Includes biographical information. Cumulative index in latest volume and separate paper title index or check index at http://www.galenet.com/servlet/LitIndex. [*PN771.C59]

Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Vol. 1 - ongoing. Detroit: Gale, 1978 - .

Provides excerpts from criticism about the works of novelists, poets, playwrights, etc. who lived between 1900-1960. Chronologically arranged from first critical appraisals to current evaluations. Includes limited biographical information. Cumulative index in latest volume and separate paper title index or check index at http://www.galenet.com/servlet/LitIndex. [*PN94.G35]

Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism. Vol. 1 - ongoing. Detroit: Gale, 1981- .

Coleman, Arthur and Gary R. Taylor. Drama Criticism. 2 vols. Denver: Swallow, 1966-71.

A list of criticism published between 1940-1964 covering plays of all periods. Vol. 1: American and British plays. Vol.2: Classical and Continental plays. [*Z5781.C65]

Guide to American Poetry Explication. 2 vols. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1989.

Alphabetical listing by poet of explications. Coverage from 1925-1987. Vol. 1: Colonial and Nineteenth-Century. Vol. 2: Modern and Contemporary. [*Z1231.P7G85 1989]

Martinez, Nancy C. and Joseph G. R. Martinez. Guide to British Poetry Explication. 4 vols.

Boston: G. K. Hall, 1991 - 1995.

British counterpart to Guide to American Poetry Explication. Similar coverage and arrangement. Vol. 1: Old English, Medieval. Vol. 2: Renaissance. Vol. 3: Restoration-Romantic. Vol. 4: Victorian-Contemporary. [*Z2014.P7M34]

Palmer, Helen H. and Anne Jane Dyson, comps. English Novel Explication. 1 vol., 1 suppl.

Hamden, CT: Shoe String, 1973 - 1976.

Indexes criticism written between 1958-1974 of novels by writers from England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and British Commonwealth nations both past and present. [*Z2014.F5P26]

Poetry Criticism. Vols. 1-19. Detroit: Gale,1991 – 1997.

Provides excerpts from criticism about poets with citations to the original sources. Biographical and bibliographic material provided also. Cumulative index by poet and titles of poems in latest volume.

or check index at http://www.galenet.com/servlet/LitIndex. [*PN1010.P499]

Short Story Criticism.Vols. 1-27. Detroit: Gale, 1988-1998.

Provides excerpts from criticism about 15-20 authors per volume with citations to original source. Biographical and bibliographical material provided also. Cumulative index by author and title in latest volume or check index at http://www.galenet.com/servlet/LitIndex. [*PN3373.S56]

Walker, Warren. Twentieth-Century Short Story Explication. 1 vol., 5 suppl. Hamden, CT:

Shoe String, 1977, 1980-1991.

Alphabetical listing by author of interpretations of individual short stories from books and periodicals. Indexes criticism written between 1900-1988 of short fiction pieces from 1800 to 1980’s.

[*Z5917.S5W33 1977]

Walker, Warren. Twentieth-Century Short Story Explication. New Series. Vol. 1, 1989-1991. Hamden, CT:

Shoe String, 1993.

Continuation of previous title covering criticism written between 1989-1991.

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